Mexican Maximillian Period Aristocrat Cape

Old Saltillo Road

This Mexican cape (manga) is the lone survivor woven in the Maximillian Period, ca:1862-1875.  This garment was the choice outwear item worn by aristocrats, hacendados, and other pure bred Spanish creoles in Mexico, worn in celebration of their Spanish heritage.  Only approximately 125 garments woven using this imported French wool floss, newly created by machine spinning the wool, then machine plying it.   Of these 1o dozen survivors, only one woven as a manga and this is it!  The purple analine dye had earlier had a representation as the color of royalty......named "ROYAL PURPLE."  

Once the Mexicans had evolved a commericially viable domestic handspun version of these thread-like yarns, a large tariff was placed on these European yarns in order to protect the local industry.  

The Mexican people, ever industrious, scrambled to create a commercially viable domestic yarn imitation of this European marvel.   This was an extremly difficult goal....spinners had to duplicate the thread like traits of the imported yarns and weavers had to evolve old familiar techniques of design creation because of the dramatic increase in the weft count of these sarapes.  By 1875 they succeeded and promptly place a huge tariff on the importation of the new miracle yarn, named "French floss."

  Garments which replicated this weaving made with  yarns which are domestic handspun are categorized as Post-Maximillian Period weavings.

  This garment is the only known survivor of this brief but significant time frame.  The silver clasps which close at the neck are wolf heads repoussed into silver discs.  The 80" diameter excludes the fringe.

$8,500.00

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